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THE ASIAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE DOI : 10.15740/HAS/TAJAS/11.2/101-106 AJAS Volume 11 | Issue 2 | December, 2016 | 101-106 Visit us | www.researchjournal.co.in  e ISSN–0976–8963

RESEARCH ARTICLE...... Karyotypic report on three from Jammu ()

MEENU SADHOTRA

ABSTRACT...... For the first time, karyotypic studies are reported for three Sphingidae moths from Jammu (India). Images of mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of three Sphingidae moths viz., nerii, Agrius convolvuli, Acherontia styx are depicted in the present communication. AUTHOR FOR CORRESPONDING : MEENU SADHOTRA KEY WORDS...... Sphingidae, Mitotic, Meiotic Department of Zoology, Govt. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE - Sadhotra, Meenu (2016). Karyotypic report on three Sphingidae College for Women, Parade, JAMMU (J&K) INDIA moths from Jammu (India). Asian J. Animal Sci., 11(2): 101-106. DOI : 10.15740/HAS/TAJAS/11.2/ Email: meenusadhotrasharma@ 101-106. gmail.com ARTICLE CHRONICLE - Received : 20.07.2016; Revised : 10.10.2016; Accepted : 25.10.2016

INTRODUCTION...... pollinators of flowering plants (Baker, 1961 and Gregory, Although intense investigations on chromosome 1963). cytology of have been carried out in different The present communication deals with karyological parts of the world, work in India is almost negligible (16 study of somatic chromosomes from male and female species by Srivastava and Gupta (1962), 30 by Rishi and meiotic stages from male of three species of moths (1973), 9 by Gupta and Narang (1980), 16 by Mohanty belonging to family Sphingidae. and Nayak (1982), 7 sphingid moths by Mohanty and Nayak (1983a and b), 11 by Mohanty and Nayak (1984) RESEARCH METHODS...... and 31 by Kaur (1988). Karyotypic studies in Lepidoptera Larvae of three species of Sphingid moths were has been a difficult task due to small dot- like collected from their respective host plants and were chromosomes of similar sizes. The chromosome cytology reared in cages. The fifth instar larvae and early pupae of Indian Lepidoptera is very much limited. The single were found suitable for chromosomal investigation. Brain family, Sphingidae is most diverse in tropical regions, but ganglia from male and female and testes from male were the large, fast-flying moths are familiar throughout dissected out and fixed in Carnoy’s fixative. Slides were the world. Sphingidae (Lepidoptera) species are called prepared following the technique of Rishi et al. (1997) “hawk moths” or “sphinx”. The hawk moths are medium and stained in Giemsa stain. Slides were examined under to large-sized, heavy-bodied moths with characteristics binocular research microscope, good stages were of bullet shaped bodies and long, blade-like wings. Hawk photographed. moths are strong fliers, which can reach 40-50 km/hr. Hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae) comprise about RESEARCH FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS...... 200 genera and 1300 species (Kitching and Cadiou, The results obtained from the present investigation 2000). Hawkmoths have long been recognized as major as well as relevant discussion have been summarized

HIND INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY MEENU SADHOTRA under the following heads : more and more condensed as they passed through diplotene to metaphase I. The diakinetic bivalents Daphnis nerii : showed chiasma bearing shapes like cross, rod, ring, The diploid number (2n) at somatic metaphase, both thereby suggesting positive occurrence of chiasmata. The male and female consisted of 58 small, dot-like metaphase I bivalents were at maximum state of chromosomes (Fig. 1 and 2). In both size and morphology, condensation and were oval in shape and aligned at the chromosomes were almost identical. The meiotic equator of the spindle with clearly visible spindle prophase in zygotene and pachytene showed elongated apparatus. Anaphasic movement was also seen (Fig.3- chromosomes, but their number was not countable at 7). this stage. The pachytene bivalents showed lengthwise pairing of homologous chromosomes but exact position Agrius convolvuli : of chiasmata was not clear. The chromosomes appeared This species also showed the diploid number to be

Fig. 1 : Somatic metaphase male Daphnis nerii Fig. 3 : Zygotene

Fig. 2 : Somatic metaphase female Daphnis nerii Fig. 4 : Diplotene

102 Asian. J. Animal Sci., 11(2), Dec., 2016 : 101-106 Hind Institute of Science and Technology KARYOTYPIC REPORT ON THREE SPHINGIDAE MOTHS FROM JAMMU (INDIA)

Fig. 5 : Diakinesis Fig. 8 : Somatic metaphase male Agrius convolvuli

Fig. 6 : Metaphase I Fig. 9 : Somatic metaphase female Agrius convolvuli

Fig. 7 : Anaphase I Fig. 10 : Pachytene

Asian. J. Animal Sci., 11(2), Dec., 2016 : 101-106 103 Hind Institute of Science and Technology MEENU SADHOTRA

Fig. 11 : Metaphase I Fig. 14 : Metaphase I

Fig. 12 : Somatic metaphase male Acherontia styx Fig. 15 : Anaphase I 58 from the somatic metaphases of both male and female larvae (Fig. 8 and 9). Good prophase stages were scored which confirmed the diploid number of the species (Fig. 10 and 11).

Acherontia styx : 2n=58, somatic metaphase showed 58 number of chromosomes (Fig. 12 and 13). Metaphase I showed 29 bivalents. Anaphase I was normal in good number of dividing cells (Fig. 14 and 15). Lepidoptera include some in which all or almost all the species of Papilio have n=30, only a few having other numbers such as n=27 or 31 (Maeki and Remington, 1960a), almost all members of tribe Nymphalini have Fig. 13 : Somatic metaphase female Acherontia styx n=31 and all members of the Lemenitini have n=30 (Maeki

104 Asian. J. Animal Sci., 11(2), Dec., 2016 : 101-106 Hind Institute of Science and Technology KARYOTYPIC REPORT ON THREE SPHINGIDAE MOTHS FROM JAMMU (INDIA) and Remington, 1961). There are many genera and tribes Lycaenidae (bluewings) has a modal number n=24, of Lepidoptera in which extreme variations in different from that of all other lepidopterans. chromosome number occur. The three species of The remarkable uniformity in morphology and remarkable Giant Skippers (Megathymidae) that have behaviour of Lepidopteran chromosomes is well haploid numbers of 21, 27 and 50 chromosomes (Maeki documented (Rishi, 1975 and Nayak, 1975). The present and Remington, 1960b). investigations agree with the earlier published data. The Lepidopterans have been the textbook example of chromosomes are minute, homomorphic and isodiametric. stable chromosome number in . White (1973) In the family Sphingdae, 31 species have been gives a histogram showing the chromosome numbers of cytologically worked out and the modal haploid number about 740 species of butterflies. There is a distinct for this family has been established as n=29 (Robinson, concentration of numbers around n=29, 30 and 31. The 1971). Similar report has been given by Mohanty and distribution is strongly skewed, with few numbers above Nayak, 1982. The highest chromosome number in the n=31 and many numbers below n=29. White (1973) takes family (n=59 in zenzeroides nawai) has been this distribution as evidence that mechanisms for reducing reported by Saitoh and Kumagai (1973). It differed from the chromosome numbers have been far more efficient all others in having the haploid number almost double than ones leading to increases in chromosome number than that of the modal number (n=29) – A situation above n=31. The distribution of chromosome numbers showing an indication of a phylogenetic pecularity of this in moths is similar to that in butterflies (Robinson, 1971). subspecies. In the present analysis, the haploid Trichoptera, the sister order of lepidopterans, is chromosome number ascertained in three Sphingid moths characterized by n=30 (Suomalainen, 1969a and b). is uniformly 29, in accordance with the modal haploid Deviation to this mechanism is shown by family number for the family.

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Prakruti-Utkal University J. Sci., 12 (1&2) : 141-150. Rishi, S. (1973). Chromosome numbers of thirty species of Indian Lepidoptera. Genen. Phalnen, 16 (3) : 119-122. Rishi, S. (1975). Chromosome studies in Indian Lepidoptera. Nucleus, 18 (1&2) : 65-70. Rishi, S., Sahni, G. and Rishi, K.K. (1997). Female heterogamety and localized centromeres in Papilio demoleus Lin. (Lepidoptera : Papilionidae). Chromosome Sci., 1 : 109-113. Robinson, R. (1971). Lepidoptera genetics. Pergamon Press, Oxford, New York, Toronto, Sydney and Braunschweig. Saitoh, K. and Kumagai, Y. (1973). On the male haploid karyotype of four species of moths. Sci. Rep. Hirosaki University, 20 : 26- 29. Srivastava, M.D.L. and Gupta, Y. (1962). Meiosis in the spermatocytes of Philosamia ricini, family Saturniidae, Lepidopera. Naturwissenschaften, 49 : 612-613. Suomalainen, E. (1969a). On the sex chromosome trivalent in some Lepidoptera females. Chromosoma (Berl.), 28 : 298-309. Suomalainen, E. (1969b). Chromosome evolution in the Lepidoptera. In chromosomes Today. (Eds. Darlington, C.D. and Lewis, K.R.), Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh, pp : 132-138. White, M.J.D. (1973). Animal cytology and evolution, 3rd Ed. Cambridge University Press, London.

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